Thursday, September 9, 2010

I decided to give EPICURIOUS a shot today, so I popped into the one at Rail Mall.

Ambiance and ServiceAmbiance-wise, it has a dimly-litted setting, very homely. You know that this is a family place when you see families walking in, and the mini gallery of children's doodles they've collected at one corner of the restaurant just reinforced the idea.

Service wise, I wasn't most impressed, but will pass. I spent some time browsing through the menu outside the cafe, and no one came out to invite me in. I had to make my own way and ask for a table myself. Water was served only after I've placed my orders. Not exactly the most attentive waiting staff. Most were busy doing their own things and appearing very busy, instead of focusing on attending to the patrons.

The MenuOn the menu, I found a good range of dishes at pretty reasonable prices. The menu was clear and concise - no trouble finding what I wanted quickly. There were 2 items I came for - The EPICURIOUS Burger, which by the way, was recommended by I-S Magazine as one of the top burgers, and the Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce. To go along with the pudding, I ordered a Long Black as well, however, the hot drink did come a bit too soon, perhaps to keep me entertained while they prepared the burger.

The FoodApproximately 15 minutes later, the burger came. At first glance, I was intrigued by the traditional Chinese plate that the burger was served on. Nice presentation with a nostalgic touch, but the burger didn't look very impressive. It looked pretty simple, served with fries and a handful of fresh greens.

My first thought was, "This? A recommended burger?" I decided to dismiss that judgmental thought, and gave sunk my knife into the beef patty.

The patty was soft, yet didn't break apart, which means it retained much moisture despite the rough cooking. I shoved a piece of it into my mouth and almost immediately, all previous perspectives of the simple-looking dish were expelled. The beef was moist and succulent, and it oozes with the sweetness of the caramalized onions on top as well as the freshness of the meat itself. The patty was faintly spiced with a tinge of fragrance from some oil, yet it wasn't too greasy. The beef was pounded to perfection - not too dense and doesn't make one feel too overwhelmed. Most important of all, it melts in the mouth. BAGUS!

By the time I was done with the burger, my dessert - the Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce appeared shortly after. At this time, my Long Black was long finished, and I was waiting for them to clear my cup. They did clear my plate, but not my cup.

The toffee sauce isn't too sweet or heavy. It's not extremely milky, instead, the fragrance of melted butter lingers in the mouth. The pudding was a little too dense and therefore did not soak up much of the goodness of the sauce. Quite a pity. I believed this would go really well with the Long Black, which I have finished. So the lesson learnt? Don't serve your Long Black too early. I'd have appreciated if I was asked whether I wanted the drink to be served later (and I was still waiting for my coffee cup to be cleared!).